majority, so if nobody got 270, went into the house, it seems to me that mitt romney would be elected president. >> how much stock should we put in this poll, seems a new poll comes out every day? >> well, i think you're just going to have to look at the state wide polls and not just bank on one poll being gallup. >> the obama campaign has to be calculating which battleground states they can afford to lose and still win. what will you be watching for? a pivotal moment where you'll say this thing is changing here? >> i'm glad you asked that question, because i'll get to be a prophet. if mitt romney starts going and traveling to ohio -- excuse me, to pennsylvania or michigan, then barack obama campaign is in terrible shape, because he's not going there just because he

likes those states. he thinks they're in play. now they're supposed to be solidly safe states for barack obama. paul ryan was in pittsburgh over the weekend, but that's the vice president. that could be a head fake. if you see the presidential candidate, mitt romney, going into michigan or pennsylvania, then obama is in trouble. >> the debate will focus on foreign policy. the response to the attack in benghazi continues to dominate headlines. on the jon stewart show, the president said talking about the victims, it was not optimal. >> that was a terrible statement. i can't use another -- and i'm sure mitt romney will refer to it. the mother of one of the people who died in benghazi said my son was not optimal and he's

very dead. it's just -- really almost rivals the 47%. why the president would use that term, that cold heartless kind of expression and if he misspoke, it's a terrible misstatement, and i think it will haunt him and he'll have to make up for it or actually even apologize for the use of that word. there's no justification. terrible choice of words. >> we'll have to watch and see what happens tomorrow night. as always, mark plotkin thank you for your insight. i'm sure i'll be talking to you tomorrow and throughout the week. >> quite a bit. thank you, maureen. >> see you then. early voting begins tomorrow in d.c. nearly a dozen city council candidates and incumbents spent the last evening before the polls opened vying for votes. audrey barnes has that story. >> thank you for coming. >> reporter: forum was hosted for ward 4. there was a common

thread of questions the audience wanted answered. topping the list, how are some of the council members like michael a. brown planning to win back the public's trust? >> i'm not perfect, but i take full responsibility. >> reporter: ward four council member bowser has spearheaded a new effort to get ethics in place. >> 67% of the people who came out to vote that day said bowser, you should have another term. we ran against a wonderful field of people and i'm pleased to have the democratic nomination. i'm even more pleased that nobody is running against me. >> earlier this year i won the democratic primary, so i am elated to be on the ballot with president obama. >> reporter: while forums like this are good opportunities for the public to meet those running for office, candidates have other ways to get their

message out, social media. ward seven candidate ron moton was involved in a twitter battle with the incumbent, who he says refuses to debate him. >> if you check our time lines out, it's a new way of doing things on twitter. >> reporter: not all voters are social media savvy, the forums are a tried and tested way to get their messages out. >> four years ago i told you i was going to help with affordable housing, and not only that, i've become the champion for affordable housing. >> reporter: they can be become game changers. >> i'm going to vote for incumbents, because i haven't heard anything that makes me want to change my mind. >> we want to know what you think about the race for the white house. we'll be using of your

tweets for a new show debuting. you decide 2012 will focus on local and national candidates and issues during the final two weeks of the campaign. it starts tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. here on fox 5. still ahead, a special honor for the lily of the mohawks. the roman catholic church elevates the first native american to sainthood. >> a man pulls out a samurai sword during a fight. that bizarre story coming up.  [ mitt romney ] we have to work on a collaborative basis.

look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.

but to me, it's moneney that i earned. i'm mitt romney, man: to someme people, social security is just a number. i count on social security. and i don't want washington politicians like george allen... privatizing it. if george allen wants to risk his own money on wall street... that's fine. but i don't want him risking mine. george allen just isn't watching out for us. anncr: the democratic senatorial campaign committee is... responsible for the content of this advertising.

roman catholic church is elevating seven new saints ask one from the united states is kateri tekakwitha, the first native american to be canonized. ♪ >> reporter: celebration and pride for one of them who is now a saint. >> i thought i'd never see this in my lifetime. >> it's our job to share this

with the world and let them know about it. >> reporter: she is known as the lily of the mohawks and now more than three centuries after her death, the blessed kateri tekakwitha is the first native american to be canonized. >> it means everything. not only to us catholics, but also to all native people. our traditionals as well. our traditional people who never accepted the faith. >> reporter: kateri tekakwitha was born along the mohawk river in what is today up state new york. this site of a mohawk village is thought to be where she grew up. a short walk away, a spring, the village water source, where it's believed she was baptized. her face was permanently scarred from small pox at age 4 in an epidemic that claimed the lives of her parents and brother. at age 20, she chose the faith of the missionaries and chastity. persecuted for rejecting the native culture, she fled to

canada. >> she literally fell in love with jesus. when that happens, the gospel means everything, because what he said in there is a way of life. >> reporter: she was known to spend hours in the woods communing with god. scholars believe her illness and later denial of bodily comforts weakened her. within minutes of her death at age 24, witnesses said her face healed, becoming clear and smooth. >> he glorified her for us. for us that we may come to believe. >> reporter: upon elevating her to a saint, the catholic church called her a model for the new e evangelism. in new york, lauren green, fox 5 news. just ahead, a grant reopening at a busy metro station. plus, a gunman is using people as target practice in detroit. police are searching for the suspect who has shot at more than a dozen random people. we have the details next when we come back.

as s governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond

and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

after eight and a half months metro says it's completed an escalator replacement project at the dupont station. they hoped three new escalators today. a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the entrance at noon. >> i would like to remind everyone why this projectwass necessary. the escalators here were among the most unreliable in our system. they were old. the manufacturer had gone out of business. it was difficult to secure parts to repair the old escalators. >> there's a multiyear plan to replace 94 escalators over the next accept years. metro is now saying riders will have to wait another three years before getting reliable wireless service in ths